Energy Learning Network
The Energy Learning Network is powering forward community energy projects across the UK
Energy Learning Network
Community Energy England is a delivery partner of the Energy Learning Network, which brings together collaborators across the UK to strengthen the community energy sector. We support people and organisations to take action on energy in their communities, while working with councils, stakeholders and other enablers to create the conditions for community energy to grow and thrive.
The Energy Learning Network is a collaboration between climate solutions charity Ashden, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and leading community energy bodies in every UK nation: Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales and Northern Ireland’s Action Renewables.
Events
The ELN hosts free, open access webinars and training events.
Support
Access free mentoring and our technical helpline to develop projects.
Resources
View the ELN resource directory and featured tools and guidance.
Energy Learning Network Events
Upcoming events
Please check back soon for upcoming events.
Past events
Explore our library of past events and recorded training sessions from across the Energy Learning Network. These sessions cover both community energy approaches and technologies, as well as the skills and capabilities needed to develop, deliver and grow successful projects.
Community Energy approaches & technologies
Webinars exploring different ways communities can take action on energy, including renewable generation, energy efficiency, heat and local energy solutions.
Intro to Community Action on Energy
On how voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations can start taking practical action on energy.
Love Wind!
On the potential of community-owned onshore wind to deliver clean energy, local resilience and community benefit.
The next phase of community energy: Supermarkets and warehouses (with Ethex)
On the opportunity for community energy groups to unlock large-scale rooftop solar on supermarkets and warehouses.
Community Shared Ownership
On shared ownership models and how communities can invest in, partner on or benefit from renewable energy projects.
Heat Networks
On the role heat networks can play in community energy, including practical examples and delivery challenges.
Community Domestic Retrofitting
On how community organisations can support home energy efficiency and domestic retrofit activity.
Making your community building more energy efficient
On practical ways to reduce energy use, improve comfort and cut running costs in community buildings.
Local Energy Markets
On local energy market models where community energy generation supplies local demand.
Delivering energy advice in the community
On providing trusted local energy advice, including support around bills, efficiency and fuel poverty.
Creating Community Sustainability Hubs
On how local hubs can bring people together around practical climate, energy and sustainability action.
The Power of Batteries: How they can help your community energy project
Inspiration and information about how batteries can help your community energy project.
Launch of Younity’s Community Power Club
Younity’s new Community Power Club is a new product that will allow community generators to earn more by supplying their members and communities through a Licence Exempt Supply arrangement.
Delivery skills & competencies
Build the knowledge, skills and organisational practices needed to develop projects, secure funding, engage communities, govern organisations and deliver lasting impact.
Governance
On good governance, roles, decision-making and organisational structures for effective delivery.
Community Carbon Auditing Webinar
On community carbon auditing and identifying practical local decarbonisation opportunities.
Long term finance and new energy generation viability
On long-term finance and what makes new community energy generation projects financially viable.
Attract investors and funders to your £150k+ community energy project
On presenting larger community energy projects to attract investors and funders.
Raising finance with investors looking for values-driven community projects
On raising finance from investors interested in values-driven local projects.
Community benefit funds: opportunities and challenges
On using community benefit funds to support local priorities, and the choices involved in managing them.
Community Energy Connect Showcase
On Community Energy Connect and how it can help groups find support, resources and connections.
Muslim Communities and Community Energy
On connecting community energy with Muslim communities, faith spaces and wider community priorities.
Making a business case for community energy projects – solar and wind
On building a clear business case for solar and wind projects, including costs, risks and income assumptions.
How IFISAs can support community energy projects and offer tax benefits
How your community energy project can raise funds using IFISAs.
Maximising income from your community energy project
This session explores the different ways of increasing the revenue from your community energy project.
Community Energy Support
The ELN also offers practical support to help community groups develop their energy projects. This includes free peer mentoring and a technical helpline, alongside wider work to build sector knowledge, partnerships and peer learning across the UK.
Peer Mentoring
ELN mentoring connects you with an experienced practitioner who provides up to three days of tailored one‑to‑one support. Mentors act as a sounding board and critical friend, helping you navigate challenges in areas such as governance, project development, fundraising, community engagement and technical or regulatory issues. Feedback from mentees is extremely positive: over 80% rated their mentoring “Excellent,” 91% felt more confident delivering projects, and 100% felt more confident taking their next step.
ELN peer mentoring – further information
Download (PDF, 377KB) ELN peer mentoring – further information
Technical Helpline
The ELN Technical Helpline, delivered by Community Energy Scotland, offers quick, specialist support for specific technical questions. The team can advise on renewable technologies, energy efficiency, monitoring and data, bills and tariffs, feasibility and carbon assessments, grid connections, transport infrastructure and more. Support is designed for focused queries and is available at any project stage – from early ideas to established systems. Submit your query through the helpline form; the technical team may follow up for more information or to arrange a call.
Community Energy Resources
Throughout the ELN programme, we will publish and enhance the online resources available to the sector. Most of these can be found here in our “how-to guides” section.
We will also develop and bring together open-source project planning tools to make it easier to progress through the early feasibility stages of community energy development.
Featured Resources
Energy Learning Network Community Energy Resources
Download (XLSX, 389KB) Energy Learning Network Community Energy Resources
A comprehensive list of community energy guidance split into topics including project management, project finance, grid connection, technology, stakeholder engagement, community buildings and shared ownership.
Understanding the added value of a community energy approach and why support for community energy is vital for the success of the UK’s transition to net zero.
Community Energy in Action: Demonstrating the value of community-led solutions to net zero
The energy transition is not just about infrastructure and technology – it is about people, fairness, and building a future where everyone benefits. Community energy is one of the most effective ways to ensure that decarbonisation strengthens communities rather than leaving them behind.
Making it Count: A guide to evidencing the impact of community energy
Download (PDF, 3.2MB) Making it Count: A guide to evidencing the impact of community energy
Community energy organisations play a vital role in shaping a more sustainable, fair,and locally driven energy future. But how can you effectively demonstrate the realdifference your work makes?
The Value of Community Energy: a digest of supporting evidence for the Energy Learning Network
This document, produced by Saskya Huggins on behalf of the Energy Learning Network, it supports our full report on the social, economic and environmental value of a community energy approach.
Partnering to secure funding: Local authority support of community energy
Download (PDF, 649KB) Partnering to secure funding: Local authority support of community energy
Discover how Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) and Grand Union Community Energy (GUCE) have developed a partnership approach to delivering local climate action that makes best use of each organisation’s strengths, demonstrating an effective model for similar collaborations across the UK.
Running a Community Energy Fund: Local authority support of community energy
Download (PDF, 477KB) Running a Community Energy Fund: Local authority support of community energy
This case study looks at the London Borough of Southwark’s £400k community energy fund.
Community energy: Widening Participation
Download (PDF, 7.7MB) Community energy: Widening Participation
A sector-first toolkit with practical resources, insights and case studies.
Using this toolkit will help community energy groups increase their impact through greater involvement of people from across their communities.
Further resources can be found on our partner websites:
Ashden | Action Renewables | Centre for Sustainable Energy | Community Energy England | Community Energy Scotland | Community Energy Wales | Resources | Community Energy Wales | Adnoddau
Regional networks
The ELN also includes funding to support the establishment of regional community energy support networks in underserved parts of the country. These will enable closer collaboration between neighbouring organisations, in-person networking, and closer coordination with their local authorities and electricity networks operators.
Following an application round, the first successful area of England to be supported is Greater Manchester, led by the Carbon Co-op.
Training and qualifications
Improving our professional skills and qualifications as a sector will help us become more impactful. We are currently drawing together a list of existing training that is relevant to the sector, as well as identifying gaps that need new courses to be developed.
This covers both the technical knowledge required to deliver renewable energy and advice projects, but also the softer core skills needed to start, manage and run an effective social enterprise.
What training is available for me?
Existing courses are below; we will continue to grow the list of relevant courses and degrees as we work with colleges and universities throughout the duration of the ELN programme.
Renewable Energy for Communities
- Community Solar Foundation Course – Big Solar Co-op – Community Solar Foundation Course
- Various Energy Short Courses – https://cat.org.uk/groups-learning/short-courses/
- Heat Geek: Heat Pump Enlightenment for Industry Partners – Heat Pump Enlightenment for Industry Partners – Essential Enlightenment – Heat Geek eCourse
Running a successful social enterprise or cooperative
- Stir to Action: Barefoot – How to establish and support a cooperative or community business barefoot
- Cooperatives UK – Governance and Practitioner training Training events | Co-operatives UK
Community Energy Specialist Apprenticeship
- This apprenticeship standard allows CE enterprises and local authorities to help people transition from being volunteers to paid work within the sector. Through the ELN, we will be working with the providers of this apprenticeship to bring the training content up to date and to help more people use it as a route to employment. Community energy specialist (level 4) – apprenticeship training course
Project development tools
These are open-access tools designed to speed up the design of community renewable energy projects.
Community Wind Turbines
Developed with funding from the ELN, VoteWind is our new open-source community wind planning map. Bringing together multiple planning constraints and wind speed data into a single visual map, it is designed to make it easier for our members and the wider public to identify sites in their local areas that are most suitable for a community wind turbine. This can then speed up the early feasibility process and guide people to the best resources in the sector to take their projects forward. Its 3D visualiser also gives people an early view of how it would look in their local landscape.
It is designed to work alongside other community engagement tools like Future Energy Landscapes, Community Energy GO, and the GB Energy Community Fund.
For wind project support, we also highly recommend contacting SIFFFT www.siffft.com
Rooftop Solar
Developed by ELN partners, Centre for Sustainable Energy’s Solar Wizard tool helps you produce building-specific estimates for solar energy generation for rooftops across your neighbourhood and the entire country.
Partnerships
A key workstream that Community Energy England is leading on is raising awareness and understanding about community energy with key delivery partners across the wider local energy system.
This includes local authorities, electricity networks, schools, the NHS, the Church of England and other faith networks, sports clubs, supermarkets, and others like GB Energy, the net zero hubs, and mayoral combined authorities.
By using our national oversight and convening role, we work with our equivalent national membership bodies and Net Zero leads in these institutions to make it easier for local community energy projects to make connections and get established.
If you would like to get involved in our Community Energy Partnerships work, please get in touch.
Collaborate with the ELN
Collaborate to build a stronger community energy sector
The Energy Learning Network is more than a partnership of organisations; it is shared infrastructure for the UK community energy sector, helping collaborators to share learning, avoid duplication, identify gaps and work together in ways that strengthens the sector as a whole UK wide.
Contact Community Energy England’s Energy Learning Network Manager John Taylor to explore collaboration opportunities, including:
- Use the network as a platform to share your learning – become a paid peer mentor or co-deliver webinars and events.
- Partner on our Community Energy resource directory – add your resources to increase uptake and get access to insights to develop your resources.
- Collaborate on projects to reduce barriers and accelerate learning for community energy, or explore joint tender opportunities with us.
Keep in touch
Keep in touch through the Community Energy England’s newsletter, or sign up to direct updates & news from the Energy Learning Network.
“The Energy Learning Network has a vital role to play in supporting the growth of community energy right across the UK. It will also amplify the amazing work already being done by communities to develop energy projects and services that generate so much more value than simply renewable energy. This is such an exciting time to be part of the community energy movement.”
Emma Bridge, CEE Chief Executive
Community Energy England is a delivery partner in the Energy Learning network, alongside climate solutions charity Ashden, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and the other leading community energy bodies in every UK nation: Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales and Northern Ireland’s Action Renewables.
The Energy Learning Network is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
